We're all in it together

1 Peter 5:8-9
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Did you ever think to yourself, "I feel so all alone" or "why is all this happening to me"?

Peter reminds us that we are not alone. In those moments of doubt listen to Peter and know that it is only Satan trying to discourage you and draw you away from the love of Christ and his family, the church. You see, your not alone. In fact, someone else close to you has probably already undergone the same kind of suffering.

Look to them for guidance and understanding. They may not be able to stop the hurting or take away your suffering, but they can tell you how with Christ as their Lord, they persevered in trial to the glory of our redeemer. And they can encourage you to do the same.

Be self controlled and alert. Look around you. Your family is waiting to love you through your time of suffering.

And when your time of suffering has passed, stand ready to help your brother or sister, just as they helped you.

Blessings to you in Christ our Lord. Put your faith in Him alone.

RangerLane.

so, who are you really serving?

Ephesians 2: 8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."

I love the apostle Paul. Though well educated, brilliant by many standards, he shares the gospel in words and emotion that make it plain for all.

In his letter to the church at Ephesus, he records for us a simple reminder- It is our great God who is the giver of salvation.

So many want to earn the right to a reward. "I'm working my way to heaven." "Look at the good works we're accomplishing. I hope it will please the Lord and secure my home in heaven someday." Sound good, doesn't it - almost enticing.
On the surface those statements, or similar ones, sound noble. Almost Scriptural. But what lies underneath that thin coating?

Paul said we are not justified (saved) by our works lest anyone boast. What did he mean, where's the danger in boasting about our accomplishments? For the answer, I go to the root of all sin - I go to the beginning.

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth and all that is in it, including mankind. He gave dominion over all things to mankind with one simple restriction - there was a tree in the garden, from it (the tree) God said do not eat lest we die. Satan, came along and whispered in our ear and enticed us to not heed the loving instruction of our Father and Creator. Satan told us that if we would ignore God's words and eat the fruit, we would become like God knowing right and wrong. We would in fact become our own god - and we were persuaded.

We liked the thought of being our own god. And so we ate. Each of us. Whether it be Adam, or Eve, or myself, or yourself. When we were tempted to stray from God's love, we did. Thus the need for our redemption, our salvation.

God, being our Creator, and loving us beyond our ability to comprehend, set in motion a plan to reconcile us to Him. The problem for man was our sin brought about the very thing that God had so forewarned, death. And so to redeem us, a debt of death had to be paid. This is an obstacle that no matter how great a mans work may be, they cannot equate the debt owed. Therefore God, because of His great love and desire for us to be reconciled to Him, became man. He lived among us. He walked among us. At the appointed time, He surrendered Himself to His creation and gave His life as the death debt that was owed for our sin. That man was Jesus Christ. His coming foretold throughout the centuries and recorded in scripture. His authenticity evidenced by the miraculous signs and wonders He performed while in fleshly form. His authority to forgive sin and reconcile us to our loving God and Father confirmed by His glorious Resurrection.

Jesus did what we cannot. He paid the death debt and rose again to life everlasting.

His promise as the Prince of Peace is that all who would believe and put their faith in Him would be granted redemption from their sin and be given the gift of salvation. by the power of Jesus, we are reunited once again with Himself, the Father, the Holy Spirit - the great God of Creation.
When we place our faith in Jesus in the watery grave of baptism, we once again recognize Him to be the one true God and put to death our false god (our own will), placing our trust in Him, we are raised out of the watery grave to newness of life, forever transformed into a new creature, His new creation. That is why Paul said our salvation is the gift of God. We cannot do what Jesus did.
If we die, we die. But Jesus, He has the authority and power to transform us into His likeness and so give us the gift of life everlasting. I am speaking of the spiritual realm, that place beyond this physical existence where moth and rust do not destroy, the heavenly realm.
In Christ Jesus, we will live forever. Apart from Christ, we can only die.
The good news of this life is that we may know now that if our faith is in the Lord Jesus, when we pass over, He has paid the death debt owed and will therefore welcome us to live with Him forever in our Fathers Kingdom.

You see, we do not do good works to get to heaven. We as confident heirs, do good works in this existence as an affirmation of our love and trust in Jesus because He is taking us to heaven.

Why did Paul say "not by works so that no one can boast"? What's the danger?
To boast in your good works as the cause of your salvation is to do the very thing that Satan tempted Eve and Adam with in the Garden - to become our own god.

Remember, Jesus did what we cannot.

Heed Paul's words, and do not put your faith in the works of your hands, but in the hands of the ONE who is worthy - Christ Jesus our Lord.


Eph 6:24 "Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love."


In Christ,

RangerLane.

Grace. Hope. Love.

Hey folks-

Many have struggled over the years. Fear and dread fills their heart as yet another friend passes from this existence without coming to know the Lord in the same manner as they have come to know through study of the Holy Scriptures.
Many times the scripture quoted to support their opinion is Matt 7:21-23.
For those not familiar with the passage, Jesus is concluding His "Sermon on the Mount". In it Jesus states that not everyone will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, even though the seekers profess to have done many great works in the name of the Lord. Jesus warns us that the reward of heaven will only be for those who "do the will of His Father who is in Heaven.
The argument goes that only those who "do" Christianity right will be the recipients of the reward of a home in heaven.
Oddly enough, the proponents of this message are exactly right. Jesus said it plainly.
So where's the dispute? It is regarding what the "will of my Father" is that Jesus referred to in His closing statements.
Many would say "it is to hear the word, believe, repent, and confess your sins, then be baptized (immersed) for the remission of your sins." "Only those who do that for those reasons are obedient and fulfilling the true Will of God."

To those who hold that position I would say - thank you for your opinion - and then offer my own.

In context, Jesus is presenting a summation of all that he had just spoken to the crowd who had so diligently listened to what he had been saying. Furthermore, Jesus follows his closing statements with the a simple illustration showing who was wise and who was not.
Jesus said the wise person is the one who put into daily practice the things he had just spoken to them. That is to whom Jesus was referring while addressing who was faithful in doing God's will and who was not.

So what had Jesus told the people that He so desperately wanted them to put into practice? Was it Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess, & be Baptized? NO!
It was:
Love the Lord your God and love one another. Be true to your commitments. Treat your fellow man with dignity and respect. Love all mankind. Not just those that love you, but those who mistreat you as well. Ask God to bless your life and then be ready to share His blessings with others who are in need. Put your trust in the Lord God our creator who is faithful to provide. Live peaceful lives, not demanding from others that which you do not do yourself. Be on guard against those who would encourage you to do otherwise. Be salt and light to the world. Encourage others to follow your example be living a life of love.

Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of scripture to support the need to put our hope in Jesus and to be buried with Him in baptism that we might arise from our watery grave a "new creature". For those of you reading this - that is how scripture reveals that we come into relationship with Christ.

So where is the Grace that this article is titled for?

Try as I might to do all that Jesus suggests, I fail. I get back on the horse and try again, but sooner or later, I fall off again. Our Lord is faithful and keeps lifting me up, for it is not my flawed actions that he sees, instead, he sees my desire to serve Him - He sees my heart. It is the grace of God that heals my flaws, and makes whole my awkward ways.

I believe that a great many souls will find salvation in the Day of Judgement because though their actions may not have been completely perfect, their heart was pursing that which was right. Those whose heart is set on serving the Lord will find salvation. God is faithful to preserve them.

So where is my scriptural foundation for such a stance? Read 2 Chronicles 30.
Hezekiah had become king of Israel. He was preparing to observe the Passover Feast and sent messengers throughout Israel and Judah that the people should submit to the Lord and come worship the Lord their God.
Not all that heard responded, but many did and so gathered to observe the Passover feast.
Focus on the record beginning at verse 18.
18 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart on seeking God—the LORD, the God of his fathers—even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary." 20 And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

The people had not ceremonially cleansed themselves as prescribed in the law, yet they actively worshipped him. And the Lord, who looks at the heart of man, overlooked their uncleanliness and healed them.


Would I ever suggest that anyone actively and deliberately not do what has been described in scripture? No.

Do I believe there is hope for the one who desires to serve the Lord, but doesn't get it all exactly right? Yes.
We will all stand before the same God and be required to give an account for what we did with what we were given. Praise be to our great God who takes our broken attempts to serve Him rather than ourselves ...and makes them perfect.


Well, anyways, I just wanted you to know there is hope.

Hope's name is Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:1)
Put your faith in Him and you will never be the same again.


Blessings to you in Christ our Lord.